A favorite cabin item...

This sign is posted in our moose-themed bathroom. My hubby gets a lot of use out of this one...ha, ha!

I love my guest room

A light bulb popped on in my head and I realized I still had some log cabin and nature photos on my camera! So I downloaded a few onto the hubby's computer. Today we are going to go look at new laptops as well as crossing our fingers that Greg's cousin who's very computer savvy - will be able to retrieve my photos from my crashed computer.

I've been spending time picking up things here and there for the guest room. It's just such an easy room to decorate (yes, I've been neglecting my own room and the loft as well as the bathroom in the basement!) But I love the idea of making a guest feel so comfortable and peaceful at our log cabin.

I got something new for the guest room. Do you know what it is? (By the way, a bed ruffle and a headboard is next on my list!)


I spruced up this garland with a bird and some greenery. Isn't it perfect for my bird themed guest room? My husband claims it's too "chickish."


I picked up this fun little mirror (see the bird on top) so my guests can make sure they look acceptable and not scare me in the morning. Ha,ha!



Thank you again for all of your comments, visits, advice and encouragement on my crashed computer! I will be back to my regular visits to your blogs very soon! Miss you!!!

I like Pine Cones

I have a thing for pine cones. I'm just starting to realize this. This is my 2nd pine cone lamp that I have purchased for the log cabin.

I also collect pine cones. I like to make bird feeder projects out of them which I'll share in an upcoming post. I also like to put them in a basket at Christmas time. Sometimes I decorate them and scent them, sometimes not. This summer I tried to make a picture frame with them but me and the hot glue gun had a fight. (I may try again.)

But I think I love them so much because they are the fruits of my favorite trees - pine trees. Something so natural, beautiful and another connection to nature. Here is a cute quote I found:

'You can live for years next door to a big pine tree, honored to have so venerable a neighbor, even when it sheds needles all over your flowers or wakes you, dropping big cones onto your deck at still of night.'
~Denise Levertov


I almost forgot, check out this cute pine cone ornament that I picked up! See the little log cabin inside? Aww.....

**P.S. Don't forget about my GIVEAWAY! Click HERE!

Decorating the cabin with history

I love history - especially learning about the early pioneer times. Our log cabin is located in an area which was once a lumbering town in the late 1800's. History of our town reveals there were draft horses pulling stacked logs, log cabins dotting the area and one-room school houses. I went to our local museum this past summer and had them scan some historical photos for me that I could frame and put in our log cabin. I'm going to group them into 2 areas in our home.

Greg hung this first group of photos in our hallway. I just love having this piece of history in our home. My favorite is the horses with the logs. (You can click on the photo to see a larger image.)

A favorite cabin decor store - The Old Spud Warehouse

I am addicted to the Old Spud Warehouse in Gaylord. This building was used by potato growers in the early 1900's and is now an ecclectic home decor shop mixed with new and antique items. There is something for everyone here whether you own a traditional home, cottage or log cabin.


They always have new inventory so I always stop in for a peek. I'm driving Greg crazy - he wants me to give it a rest for a month.




























In the basement, you can find some neat antique tables, lamps, old wooden skis and much more.












See that large owl on the bottom shelf - left hand side? Well he now has a home at our log cabin!

The Loft Project

As my friend Jen at Unglazed would say, I need to get "cracking" on the loft! So far we have carpeted and put a guest bed up there. On our to do list are blinds, furniture (night stand, seating area) and a room divider screen. Our loft is a little over 300 square feet and all open so I wanted to make sure I made good use of the space. The room divider screen will add a little privacy for the guests in the loft and allow me to create a separate seating / reading area. Here are a few that I found:

I found the above room screens at Home Decorators, Black Forest Decor and Target. I'm still on the hunt for more!

Geez - will somebody put some blinds up?

Bad cat at the Log Cabin

I finally found a headboard I liked at a reasonable price for our bed at the log cabin. I am addicted to that Garden Ridge store thanks to my friend Michele! (P.S. - my friend Michele has a cool online store for doggy fashions if you'd like to check it out.)

After Greg put it up he said - now this is a nice bed and the cat shouldn't be on it. I said okay.

Five minutes after Greg went outside......bad cat decided to check it out. Ha,ha....

Tete a Tete

When I used to pour through my log home magazines (okay - I still do!) - I loved how people created conversation areas in their open living space - a "Tete a Tete." When I looked up the definition, it states that a Tete a Tete is 1. private conversation between two persons and 2. A sofa for two, especially an s-shaped one allowing the occupants to face each other.
Hmm....I don't have the s-shaped sofa, but I think my makeshift Tete a Tete will do. So please have a seat, let me grab you a hot chocolate with marshmallows and we'll look out at the lake and discuss when we think the first snow flake will fall!

I love my switch plates!

For some odd reason, I just love decorative switch plates for the log home. I'll spend a good hour in a rustic store just looking at all the different log home decor switch plates. Since our log home is called 'The Loon's Nest' I had thought about doing all Loon theme switch plates. But I got a little off track.....



This is in my Loon bathroom.

But then I had to have a Moose theme.

But then I thought these pine switch plates would look good in the hallway....

Yep! I'm hooked on switch plates!

Log & Timber Frame Expo

The first day of the Log & Timber Expo is behind us! It was a light crowd but not surprising since it started on a Friday afternoon and most people are working at that time. I'm convinced that people who have an interest in log homes always turn out to be some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. About 30% of the people we met today already own land and are now looking for the right log home. Tomorrow should be the busiest day of the expo and we are looking forward to it. I'm looking at some of these rustic furniture dealers and want to buy almost everything I see. Well my feet are killing me and I'm headed to sleep - here are some photos I took this morning before the expo opened up to the public.

Something old, something new

One major piece of furniture I've been missing at our log home was a dining set. I've been scouring all the rustic / lodge stores and magazines. I found one set in Mackinaw city - it was perfect. Dark, round pedastel table, high-backed heavy chairs....I was in love....except the price. There is so many other things we still need to finish on our log home and I couldn't justify breaking our budget at this time.

So I am using the dining room set my beloved grandfather had purchased over 30 years ago and had given to my parents. They have been long divorced and I've been storing it in a warehouse for the past 5 years. The chairs are outdated and need to be recovered. But I have to say - it looks nice mixing old with new things in a log home. Besides - I like having a memory of my grandfather in my most favorite place in the world.

Decorating & arranging things at the Log Cabin

Slowly but surely, we are making progress on furnishing the interior of our log cabin. I like all the different textures and colors that look good combined with the background of logs - such as bright colored couches, leather, bronze metal and oriental rugs.


I found this oriental rug at Garden Ridge priced $100 less than a similar one I found at a major chain store.
As the dining area is small - I am putting a round dining table with seating for 4. The extra 4 seats at the kitchen bar should be sufficient for the overflow crowd.










I'm thinking about putting a small fireplace in that far left corner. I saw some nice ventless gas fireplaces at Home Depot but concerned about their safety.

I found this great bronze textured metal "Tulip" table at Pier One. It is suppose to be a side table, but with its height and size, I think it's perfect as a non-obtrusive coffee table.













Here's a closer look at the table so you can see the detailing. What do you think?

Log Cabin Projects

Greg and I had a nice weekend to complete many projects at our log cabin.

Hung this chickadee picture in our hallway that was painted from a local Gaylord artist. It's a picture of a chickadee that she rescued that was booted out of its nest from another bird. She would hold the baby in her hand while the parents would come to still feed it.










Cleaned up the deck, checked for loose spindles. Still have more caulking to do.

Purchased a closet system from Lowes. Greg installed this all by himself. (Well, I handed him the drill, hammer and screws so I helped a little bit, ha!)

Guest room at the Log Cabin

I'm working on getting the guest room at our log cabin complete by next month. It has the view, new comfy bed, a quaint chair and a clock to tell them what time to get out (just kidding!) I want to hang another picture or two and then get a nice antique type headboard to keep with my relaxing bird/cottage theme in that bedroom. Someone told me to check out craig's list www.craigslist.com - has anyone had much luck with that?

Log Cabin Family Room

I'm still in the process of getting our main level family room in order at our log cabin. I'm trying to create a cozy, conversational area with the couches and 2 chairs. Now I'm on the hunt for a nice coffee table and a fireplace (I may get an electric one.) What I really like about this area is that we don't need a t.v. - just some people, good conversation and a great view of the lake. We are going to finish the walkout basement to create a recreation room so the hubby can sneak a big screen t.v. and a bar down there. (Also his stuffed fox with the pheasant in his mouth!!)

Building a Loon's nest

On top of the kitchen cupboards, I am building a Loon's nest. It seems appropriate since we named our Log Cabin "The Loon's Nest." I have a couple Loon decoys, bird houses, greenery, a goldfinch in the nest. I need more Loons. Now I'm thinking I have to find that elusive electrician to put a plug up there for me so at Christmas time I can plug in some white lights behind the Loons and birdhouses. Maybe I'll have white lights up there year round! Maybe the Loons would like other friends such as Wood Duck?! Hmm...I can see I'm already running out of cupboard space.

P.S. If you like wooden duck decoys, I found a great price for them online at Moose-R-Us http://www.moose-r-us.com/

The moose says....

The Moose says "Happy Fourth of July" and let freedom ring!!

Dinnerware for the Log Cabin

I'm going to let you in on a little shopping secret. Kohls is a good place to pick up dinnerware for a log home or cottage. And to top it off - at good prices! I picked up this collection called Homestudio Woodland. I love the bear, canoe and tree images - just perfect for our log cabin!

Getting Loony in the Log Home

In keeping with my Loon theme for our log home, Greg & I went out searching for a nice Loon picture to hang on the large wall in our dining area. (Please note that I am doing things backwards as I still don't have a dining table - but that's the way I operate - ha,ha!) We found this picture (on sale!) at the Call of the Wild Museum in Gaylord. If you look at the picture closely, you can see the Loon parents with their 2 chicks looking at a log cabin (of course!) Just perfect for us!
To round out our "loon fever" - we went to the lake to see if the nesting pair of loons had their babies yet - and to our delight they did! They were very far away from my camera but I'll still post those shots later this week.

Increasing the size of the Log Home Kitchen

Our humble log home is under 1,500 square feet so we had to get creative with making the best use of space. In the kitchen, I added a bar top complete with 4 bar stools to the kitchen counter so we would have extra seating area for the overflow crowd in our dining room. Now I'm on the hunt for the perfect dining table - it all takes time!